Folding brace for ironing tables and the like



Juliy w, 1934. H GILBERT 1,966,715

FOLDING BRACE FOR IRONING TABLES AND THE LIKE Original Filed Jan. 7,1929 A TTORNE Y Patented July 17, 1934.-

UNIT ED FOLDING BRACE FOR IRO'NING'TAB'L'ES AND THE LIKE HenryJ.Gilbert,-deceased,-.late.of Saginaw, Mich., by Charles T. Gilbert andHarwood J. Gilbert, Saginaw, Mich, executors; said Gilbertassignor toSaginaw Manufacturing (10., Saginaw, Mich, a corporation .of MichiganRefiled for abandoned application Serial No. 330,849, January 7., 1929.This. applicationJuly 29, 1932, Serial No. 626,110

'6 Claims.

This "invention is afolding brace for collapsible tables suchas ironingtables in which the brace when extended is'subjected to considerableendwise'thrust and hence must be capable-of with- '5 standing strains ofcompression in the lengthwise direction and also transverse strainstending to bend or spring the brace in-a flatwise direction.

An object of the inventionis to providea brace consisting of two membershinged togetherran'd l shaped to engage "each other in complementaltelescoping relation when folded, the end portion of one of the bracesresting inside "the other and enveloped and reinforced-or stiffened byit.

A further object is to'provide a brace constituted as above describedwherein the enveloping or 'trough-like'member-of the brace is shaped atits other end to'provide-a-pair of spaced bearings that constitute aWide'base that acts as a-spacer or vdistancepiece'between the two sidemembers '20 of the diagonal leg of an ironing table. The said twobearings and their pivot pin also serve to hold the enveloping member of"thebrace rigidly,

enabling it to better resist the sidewisespringing tendencies that arebrought upon it while the table is' in use.

Another object is to provide a light, yet strong brace of the kinddescribed capable ofbeingassembled from a single flat bar member and twoother members each made of a single piece of sheet metal, one of thesetwo members being a gravitational slide, the other constituting theabove-mentioned trough-like member.

A further object is to provide a gravitational locking sleeve adapted toslide into locking engagement with the end of the complementalenveloping member when the brace is in extended position, the lockingaction being attained by two locking tongues, one at each side of thebrace.

With the foregoing and certain other objects in view, which will appearlater in the specification the invention comprises the devices describedand claimed and the equivalents thereof.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side view of an ironing table embodying theimprovement.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view showing the jointed brace in partlyfolded positions, one position shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a view partly broken away, showing the brace in lockedposition, as seen from the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective showing the sleeve in locked position.

Fig. 5 is a detail in perspective showing the double-tongued sleeveretracted.

As is clearly shown in the drawing the improvedbrace consistscf ,a flat:bar 1 hinged at its upper end to the cable 2, and a cQ-cperating brace.member, preferably.trough-shaped, 3 whose lower end is ihinged bypivotpin 4 tothe lower part of the :diagonal leg 5 of the table in themanner. shown in Fig. 3. An endof bar v1 is received between twolongitudinal side flanges 6, .7 on-the trough-likesheet metal bracemember .-3 and is pivoted thereto :by rivet .pin 8 located a shortdistance from its-end. Theother endof the trough-shaped sheetmetal brace-member '3 has its flanges spaced :farther apart. These fiangeslarereceivedbetween the two members of the bifurcated table 'leg and fitclosely therebetween.

Thus is-providedawide base -9 onthe pivoted trough-shaped memberfS,impartingto it and-.to bar 1 great endwiserigidity when the table isinuse. Member-3 isof such shape that-itcanbe made preferably of relativelylight sheet metal and easily formed in-a die. orpress.

When the I brace members 1, "3 are in :folded position, theextreniity ofthe bar memberl and aporticn of its length arelconcealed .within andprotected -by :member 3 and :whenthe :brace' is extended its two*flanges;6, fi -lie. closely alongside bar 1 and provide :sidesupportsthatseiiectually preventa-ny un'due lateraL-movernent or sidewise playin the pivoted joint 8.

To lock the two brace members 1 and 3 when extended, there is preferablyprovided a notch 10 on each of the two side flanges 6 and 7 of part 3,and upon the fiat bar 1 there is slidably mounted a sleeve 11 formed ofsheet metal, one end presenting two tongues 12, arranged to be receivedin the respective notches 10. Thus are provided two sets of interlockingtongues and notches, one at each side. When they are in engagement thewalls 11a of the sleeve that overlie the edges of the bar 1 prevent thebrace from folding. Obviously the notches may be in the sleeve 11 andthe tongues 12 on member 3 if desired, without departing from myinvention as defined in certain of the claims.

By the means above described there is produced a strong rigid brace thatis especially well adapted for use in ironing boards and the like, thatcan be cheaply manufactured of relatively light material and is easilyassembled.

Preferably the brace construction is made as above described to permitthe use of two interengaging notches and tongues, one at each side ofthe bar for imparting double locking strength to the sleeve, therebyreducing the liability of accident by reason of possible breakage of oneof the tongues, although a single locking device may be provided ifdesired.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. An ironing table having in combination a folding brace including abar and a co-operating base member, an end of said bar received betweenfianges of said base member near an end thereof and pivoted thereto, andmeans for interlocking saidbar and base member in extended position, theflanges at the end portions or" the base member remote from the pivotbeing spread apart to present a width greater than the width between theflanges at the joint, said base member being adapted to be receivedbetween the branch members of a bifurcated leg or" said table, and apivoted connection therefor whereby there is provided for said foldingbrace a wide-spreading base member that holds the brace rigidly againsttendency to spring sidewise when the table is in use.

2. In a folding brace including a bar and a oo-operating trough-likeflanged member formed of sheet metal, an end of said bar closelyreceived between flanges of said trough-like member near an end thereofand pivoted thereto, and means for interlocking said bar and .member inextended position, an end of the trough-like member having flangesspread apart to provide a base of greater width than the remainder ofthe trough, said base adapted to be received between the members or" abifurcated table leg, and a pivoted connection therefor, for thepurposes set forth.

3. In a folding brace including a bar and a co-operating flangedtrough-like member, said bar having an end received between flanges ofsaid trough-like member near an extremity thereof and pivoted thereto, asleeve slidable on said bar, a side wall or" said sleeve formed toreleasably engage said trough-like member in locking relation, the endsof the flanges near the other end of said trough-like member spacedapart so as to present a base of greater width than the above mentionedpivoted extremity of the trough, for the purposes set forth.

4. In an ironing table including a board and a diagonally disposedbifurcated leg hinged at its upper ends to the board and consisting oftwo downwardly convergent members, a brace member made of sheet metaland having longitudinal flanges whose lower ends are spread apartsufficiently to present a base portion that fits closely between saidmembers near their lower ends and a pivot pin extending through theflanges of said leg members near their lower ends, said flanges beingconvergent upwardly and formed with notches in their upper ends, a flatbar hinged at its upper part to the board, its lower part receivedbetween said flanges and pivoted thereto, and a sleeve slidable on saidbar and formed with projecting tongues adapted to be received in saidnotches.

5. An ironing table having, in combination with downwardly convergentleg members, a foldable brace consisting of a bar hinged at its upperend to the table, a spacer member adapted to telescope with aid bar andhaving longitudinal members separated to present a wide base andpivotally connected respectively to the opposite inner faces of said legmembers near the lower ends thereof, parts of said longitudinal membersremote from said pivotal connections being convergent, an end of saidbar being closely received between the convergent ends of said flangesand pivotally connected thereto, and releasable locking means associatedwith the hinge of the bar.

6. An ironing table having in combination with hinged legs, a foldablebrace consisting of a bar hinged at its upper end to the table, a spacerhinged at its upper end to the lower end of said bar and havinglongitudinal members spaced apart at their lower ends to form a widebase, each of said longitudinal members being arranged for pivotalconnection with a bifurcation of a leg member of said table and beingadapted to fit between the bifurcations, the upper end of said spacerbeing arranged to enclose the adjacent end of said bar.

CHAS. T. GILBERT,

HARWOOD J. GILBERT,

Executors of the Estate of Henry J. Gilbert,

deceased.

